1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a processing station for use in conducting a fluorescence polarization measurement on a sample in a cell under examination in a device for chemical and biochemical analysis.
2. Description
Automatic analytical devices usually operate on the following principle. Samples for analysis or parts of samples are placed in containers and then subjected to a series of processing steps such as adding (pipetting) reagents, mixing or incubation. Measurements of the reactions which have taken place are made a number of times during processing and/or once at the end of processing. The usual procedure is as follows. The containers holding the samples for analysis are placed in a fixed sequence on a conveyor and travel through various processing stations. In the case of batch processing, as is usual in the case of centrifugal analytical devices, all sample containers are placed on a carrier (rotor) and subjected practically simultaneously to the processing steps and measurements. Analytical systems operating on these principles provide good service in large clinics and analytical centers where many samples have to be processed.
In view, however, of the variety of possible analyses today and the medical requirements on clinical chemistry, particularly in immunological investigations, the conventional automatic analyzers for throughput of large quantities of samples are not sufficiently flexible to provide analytical profiles (full random access) specifically adapted to individual patients or clinical pictures. It is an aim of this invention to achieve increased flexibility. In addition to photometric extinction measurements on mixtures of samples and reagents under investigation, another aim is to make fluorescence polarization measurements on the mixtures in the same analytical device.